Search Results for: preschool homeschool nature study

Summer nature study is so much fun! There is never any shortage of great topics and this carnival reflects how each family is taking the OHC and making it their own. (If I missed your entry, please email me and let me know and I will add it. The Blog Carnival website had some issues again this month.)

Thanks so much for sharing your nature study.

Make sure to check back tomorrow for the August Newsletter post with fresh ideas for your summer nature study. I will also announce July’s giveaway winner in that post.

Tricia and her children share their sunflower study….their second summer taking a closer look. You can read their entry on their family Hodgepodge blog, Summer Sunflowers.
  
Mary Jo from Seeds of Peace contributes their Nature Study-Sunflowers entry for carnival readers. Her son did a great job with the details on his notebooking page.

Nicole and her daughter did a sunflower study complete with artwork and baking! Read on her blog, Journey to Excellence, their entry, Sunflowers.

Jenny from Grace in Loving Chaos joins the carnival with her entry: Nature Study Sunflowers.

Nicole from One Hook Wonder writes about their experience with Painted Lady butterflies as part of this challenge. My favorite part of the entry is when they release the butterfly and it goes straight to their garden flowers! Perfect ending to the story of the butterfly.

Brandy writes about their Creepy Crawly Critters on her blog Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood.

Tricia and her family had an bee/insect study in their own backyard. Read their entry, Bees and Buzzy Insects, to see how they learned so much about their bees and wasps.

Susan from Learning all the Time shares their July Nature Study: Honeybees entry with carnival readers.Make sure to see their very well done nature journal entries.

Tristan shares their surprise insect study on her blog Our Busy Homeschool: We Play in the Rain and Meet a Furry Friend. What a colorful critter they found…don’t miss seeing it!

Ann from Harvest Moon by Hand writes about their Bats/Outdoor Hour Challenge. They went on a bat hunt!

Nicole from One Hook Wonder shares their Night Critters post…complete with a sound recording of their subject.

Tricia shares their Summer Weather entry on her HodgePodge blog. They share one day of cloud observations and end with an art project!

Heather from the Tully Telegraph shares their OHC #3 Green Anoles.  Don’t miss reading their entry and seeing the nature journals. I love that each one captures a different aspect of their study. Great example!

Ann and her daughters share their Clover Study on her blog Harvest Moon By Hand. What an interesting entry covering so many aspects of this everyday plant. She’s included some recipes again and some wonderful images. Ann also shares their Summer Cattail Study and their One Small Square Study with carnival readers. One last entry from Anne and her girls shows their wonderful Summer Tree Study, updating from their spring study.

Kristin from Broom and Crown shares a wonderful preschool nature study with carnival readers this time. Check out their entry: What’s Under the Dirt.

Kim writes on A Child’s Garden about their Dandelions: A Bilingual Lesson on Plant Study. She used the ideas from the Spring Dandelion Challenge and then added some great activities. Thanks for the great ideas.

Beachcombing- Shark Teeth is another entry from Kim and her blog, A Child’s Garden. She shows us how they studied shark’s teeth using resources other than the Handbook of Nature Study….I love to see how families take the ideas from the HNS and apply them to their own subjects. Great job.

Serena from Casting Pearls shares their Nesting Robins with carnival readers. She has some beautiful images of the eggs and wonder nature journal examples. Don’t miss the update to this entry where they make a positive identification of their nesting bird.

Kim also shares a great bird entry in their post Summer Bird Study: Blue Jays. She shows how their family pulled together a number of resources, including the Handbook of Nature Study, to make their bird study complete.

That completes this edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. I look forward to reading your August entries and seeing how nature study is accomplished in your part of the world.

There seems to have been a malfunction with the Blog Carnival website this month. I know some of your had trouble submitting your entries and I know I didn’t receive notice for many of the entries. PLEASE let me know if I somehow missed your entry and you would like to be included in the carnival.

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION: There were four suggested topics in the newsletter but I don’t want to limit any of you to just those topics. There is a section at the bottom of the carnival that I titled “Potpourri” and I have included the entries that don’t fall into the suggested four topics there. I think this really gives the carnival a great flavor and I truly enjoyed reading each and every entry.

I would like for the entries to include some element of an Outdoor Hour Challenge – reading in the Handbook of Nature Study, outdoor time exploring as a family, and following up with discussion, research, and an opportunity for a nature journal entry. One thing I would like to ask of you in return is to include in your entries a link back to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Newsletter or the Handbook of Nature Study blog. I want as many people as possible to learn about our activities and jump in and participate. If you want to use the Outdoor Hour Challenge logo in your entries that is encouraged too but not required.

• Angie and her sons have voted their woodpecker bird study their Favorite Nature Study ever! Now that says a lot because they have done a lot of nature study. Take a look at their entry and their journals: Hairy
  Woodpecker.
• Serena from Casting Pearls has captured their June Nature Study in her entry to the carnival. They started out going to an apple orchard but they found it filled with a flock of Cedar Waxwings. She has the most gorgeous images of the birds in the apple blossoms! Don’t miss seeing their family’s entry.
•  Heather posted their Killdeer Nature Study on their family’s blog, Kingdom Arrows. I love that they were able to incorporate the Bird Study Grid from the June newsletter and take advantage of the notebook page. Thanks Heather.
• Ann from Harvest Moon by Hand always shows how much you can pack into one nature study topic. This Spring Bird Study entry is no exception and you will enjoy reading about their bird song study. She writes, “One of the things Olivia mentioned was that she heard so many birds singing all at the same time.  One would start and then another and another.  ‘I couldn’t tell the old birds from the new birds.’  It did sound like – a constant symphony of birds singing and calling to one another.” Click over to see her whole entry.
• Zonnah shares their Dove Study on her blog this month. Check out their nature journal entries and it looks like they used the Bird List from the June Newsletter too!
• Kristin and her girls looked for Backyard Desert Birds in the very hot desert temperatures! They made a quick outdoor study and even found some feathers to observe. Make sure to see the gilded flicker images. Wonderful!
• What a treat of an entry Tricia and her children put together for the carnival! Check out Bird Watching on their Hodgepodge Homeschool blog. They used the Bird Study Grid and the Bird List from the Newsletter. Don’t miss all the wonderful images and their journal entries
• Alex from Canadian Home Learning submits to the carnival their Unplanned Nature Study of ducks and a Mudpuppy. Don’t know what that is? Click over and read all about it and don’t miss the adorable duckling photos.
• Susan from Learning All The Time writes about their June bird study as outlined in the June Newsletter. I really enjoyed seeing their bird list and their journals. Thanks for sharing with the carnival.
• Holli from Settled In My Home shares their bird study: Surprised By Barn Swallows. I love that they took the opportunity when it arose to study these beautiful and interesting birds with the HNS.
• Nicole’s boys each picked a bird to study as part of the June Newsletter suggestion. Read about their OHC on One Hook Wonder.

• Tricia from Hodgepodge Homeschool shares their Backyard Bunnies nature study to the carnival. Adorable, sweet bunnies! They did a great job using the Handbook of Nature Study to learn more and they used the notebook page from the June Newsletter for their nature journal.
• As the Garden Grows is Jessy’s entry to the carnival. They are giving us an update on their square foot garden which includes one big black spider!
• Kattie from 2 Ladybugs and  Lizard submits their Plant and Flower Study….she has pulled everything together nicely in this entry….make sure to see their very well done nature journals.
• Kristin writes about her adventures in the desert with preschoolers and garden critters in her blog entry Garden Critters (aka Running and Screaming).
• Spittle Bugs! Read the entry on the Urban Cottage Homeschool to see their Garden Critter entry featuring this interesting insect. You might want to see their beautiful garden images too.
• Susan from Learning All The Time! has put together a wonderful entry for the Tiger Swallowtail Study.  The images and nature journal entries are worth a click over to see…such careful work in the sketches. I really enjoyed this entry.

• Tricia has given us a treat of an entry in their Crop Plant Study of Squash. Not only does she pack it with interesting images and facts, we get a recipe too! I am anxious to do a squash study with my boys soon.

Tree Study

• Zonnah gives us a great example to follow when our children are not as excited as we would like them to be about nature study. She allows some flexibility and they have a wonderful entry to share: Oaks.
• Crape Myrtle Tree Study – Heather and her family chose to study their own crape myrtle trees as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge. Make sure to view their nature journals since they are very good examples of how simple sketches and captions still make a wonder record of your nature study.

• Nicole from Journey to Excellence writes about their First Day of Summer and shares their notebook page. Thanks for sharing your day!
• Jenny Anne from Royal Little Lambs also completed their First Day of Summer activities with a notebook page. She also shares some glimpses into their garden. So pretty!
• This entry really could go into several categories but I will put it here: Tricia from Hodgepodge Homeschool submits this wonderful entry about her Daddy’s garden….and a visit they had last week.  I appreciate how much their family supports their nature study. Thanks Tricia and family!
• Another family marked the First Day of Summer with some nature study and a notebook page. Thanks Susan and family for sharing your day.!

Potpourri

• Wildflowers – Tricia (Hodgepodge Mom) and  her family were able to do a wonderful observation and nature study of their Queen Anne’s Lace Abundance. They had their patch but now they see it everywhere. Great journal examples for you all to see in this entry as well.
• Wildflowers – Nicole shares their family’s experience with keeping track of all the wildflowers they saw from March to May. Read her entry on her blog, One Hook Wonder.
• Elk and Prairie Dogs – While on vacation, Nicole and her family were able to make some up-close observations of elk. They followed up with questions to be answered and here is there entry on One Hook Wonder.  The also had the opportunity to study up close some prairie dogs and their colony. See their entry Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs.
• Box Turtle – Heather’s family completed their very first Outdoor Hour Challenge. They observed, read about, and then journaled a box turtle they found at their home. Here is their Box Turtle Entry – Excellent job!
• Tricia has had another little creature visit their backyard. First they had a bunny and now a Baby Squirrel or Is It? What a great entry….don’t miss the backyard rainbow.
• Ann shares two wonderful entries that show their summer nature study activities, Strawberries and Outdoor Picnic. Great job!
• Kim’s son shares their family’s experience with a bat. I love hearing his version of the event. You can read all about it in their entry: Nature Study: Bats (Much to the Dismay of My Husband).

I randomly drew numbers and Nicole from Journey to Excellence will receive the birdfeeder. Congratulations Nicole and family! Thank you for your entry into the carnival this month.

In fact, thank you to everyone who entered into Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival this month. I will be posting the July Newsletter tomorrow so make sure to download and save the June Newsletter before it is gone. I am seriously loving the new format for the Outdoor Hour Challenge and I have heard from many of you too that you like the flexibility and the added resources. I hope you spread the word about the Outdoor Hour Challenge Newsletters to all your readers!

Those of us who made it outdoors during November were treated to a variety of nature study experiences. For our family we enjoyed the push to learn more about salmon and to spend some time looking for interesting things in our autumn season. I am sending a big thank you to all the families that supported the carnival this month….shorter than usual but just as enjoyable. I look forward to seeing your December nature study as we work through some informal challenges over the next few weeks.

Autumn Series # 6 Queen Anne’s Lace
Kelsey catches up with her Queen Anne’s Lace entry on her blog Mud Puddles.

Autumn Series #8 Weather
Tricia shares their weather study on her blog. She writes, “Flip-flops or jackets? This is the November question.”

Autumn Series #7 Trout and Salmon
Kelsey and her family had a really great idea for studying some fish up close. Check out their entry on Mud Puddles.

Tricia and her family completed a wonderful study of fish as part of the Trout and Salmon challenge. Check out their notebook pages!

Autumn Series #9 Pine Cones
Tricia says there is no shortage of pine cones to study in her area. Don’t miss reading about their nature study for this challenge.

Autumn Series #10 November World
Amy shares their November World on her blog The Teachable Heart. I think Amy has done a wonderful job adapting all the Autumn Series challenges to her preschoolers.

Tricia finishes off her Autumn Series challenges with a look at a familiar spot as part of her November World post.

Phyllis and her children treat us to a glimpse into their November World. Noticing Nature in November and November World Nature Walk will make you smile.

Misc Outdoor Hour Challenges Entries
Amy from Hope is the Word shares their Outdoor Hour Challenge #3 on her blog. You can see their November World!

Shirley Ann from South Africa contributed two entries to the carnival: Look Closely, Pay Attention and October Nature Club. Remember they are experiencing different seasons than we are in the Southern Hemisphere….a little snorkeling would be welcome around our neck of the woods.

Quinn shares their Mammal/Coyote entry on her blog On Just A Couple Acres. Don’t miss this interesting nature study that happened right in their own backyard.

Also, as part of the November World Challenge I announced a giveaway to all that entered a link in Mr. Linky. We did a random drawing and the two winners are:

For the $10 NotebookingPages.com gift certificate: Phyllis from All Things Beautiful

Congratulations!

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Welcome to October’s Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival! The days are definitely shorter and the temperatures are cooling off here in Northern California. The opportunities are still available for some wonderful nature study and our family has been snatching up quite a bit of time outside both in formal and informal enjoyment of the season.

The Autumn Series of Challenges are moving right along and I have enjoyed reading and viewing the outdoor time your families have shared in your entries. So, here is your carnival….sending big thanks to everyone who participated. You will get a wonderful sampling of what has been accomplished if you read each of the following carnival entries.

Signs Of Autumn
Jamie from See Jamie Blog joined us for this carnival with her entry that shares their autumn signs…don’t miss her daughter’s list.

Lynn shares their Autumn Signs from her blog, Nature Notes.

Autumn Series #2 Autumn Bird/Geese
Paula and her daughter from Belgium share their autumn bird study of the nuthatch. Read their entry, Bird Study in Town.

Another unusual autumn bird study comes from Amy in Peru. Read their entry on her blog, Fisher Academy International. They ended up comparing two of their local birds and adapting the study to fit their part of the world.

Autumn Series #3 Horses
Melissa submits their family’s horse study, With Flowing Tail and Flying Mane. Love the title and all that she writes about in her entry to the carnival.

Angie from Petra School links up with their autumn horse/dog study. She shares how they pulled in some drawing activities to compare and learn more. Great idea!

Phyllis and her family share their horse challenge experiences in their entry to the carnival. What a wonderful study and the photos really tell the story.

Autumn Series #4 Apples
Phyllis from All Things Beautiful links up to the carnival with their family’s apple study. Don’t miss the pastel art at the end…lovely.

Paula’s daughter shares their Apple Study from Belgium. Paula has adapted all the autumn challenges to fit their European habitat.  She also includes some book suggestions to check out.

Monica from Discover Their Gifts writes about their apple study and how they compared thirteen different varieties of apples. Great job on this study and the journals!

Tricia met up with Angie (The One Thing) for some apple study. What is nature study without a little dirt? They had a wonderful afternoon, I loved seeing their photos and catching up with Angie’s boys. Thanks Tricia for sharing your day.

Autumn Series #5 Autumn Tree/Leaf Study
Angie from Petra School shares their wonderfully encouraging and informative study of autumn trees/leaves. Thanks Angie.

Tricia from Hodgepodge Homeschool submits their entry to carnival with their autumn leaf study. What a rich and full study of leaves at this time of the year. Don’t miss their journals.

Phyllis at All Things Beautiful shares their tree study with a tree I have never seen before. Pop over and check out their osage orange tree study.

Mauren from Homeschool Mo shares how they adapted the autumn tree/leaf study to their preschool day.

Autumn Series #6 Queen Anne’s Lace/Weeds
Tricia from Hodgepodge Homeschool decided they didn’t have to travel farther than their backyard to find some autumn weeds to study. Read all about their nature study as part of Autumn Series OHC #6.

Amy from The Teachable Heart shares their excellent study of Queen Anne’s Lace and how she adapted the study to fit their preschool age boys. She used some garden carrots to compare to the Queen Anne’s Lace…excellent idea!

(Autumn means hanging a few more birdfeeders and filling the ones already up there.)

Outdoor Hour Challenges-Other
Karen writes on her blog The Fruit of Her Hands about their Outdoor Hour Challenge #2. I think they did a great job of coming up with words for their time outdoors. I am sure she would love to hear some encouraging words as they set out on the OHC trail.

Rhonda at Preparation Education didn’t need to go farther than their own backyard to find a subject for their weekly nature study. Read about their dragonflies and see their journals as part of the carnival. 

Amy from Hope is the Word submits to the carnival their Outdoor Hour Challenge #1. They have gone back to the beginning of the challenges and in this entry they come across some armadillos!

Makita from Academia Celestia shares their pine cone study which includes some wonderful journal examples for you to check out.  

Phyllis from All Things Beautiful writes about their mushroom study. She has a photo of a fairy circle that will amaze you!

That wraps up this edition of the carnival. I hope you enjoy reading what other families are outside doing for nature study and how the Autumn Series is helping us learn a little more about our own backyards and neighborhoods. 

Please consider submitting your Outdoor Hour Challenge entries to the next carnival. Deadline for submissions will be November 30th, 2010 and all entries from November are eligible. Here is the link for submissions: LINK.

Thanks again,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom